Taurus Beer and Whiskey House - A Bar Review
My wife and I spent happy hour on the Fourth of July at Taurus, one of the longest tenured whiskey bars in Miami. Taurus is well worth visiting if you find yourself in the Coconut Grove or Coral Gables neighborhoods, and it's not a particularly long trek from downtown. Best of all, they have great happy hour specials and a generous hand when pouring -- cheers!
Atmosphere and Service: Taurus has a vibe that's a cross between a relaxed dive bar, a ski lodge, and a friend's disorderly basement or garage. The decoration is eclectic, with some random items strewn about in the corners, and a set of mini-barrels in the corner (presumably adding a little extra aging to some of their offerings). I also loved the big chalkboard drawing of a still, some bottles of moonshine and whiskey, and a modern-day still life featuring some of the food and drink on offer. It's a really fun place to have a drink, and the service was quick and friendly. Since we were there on the Fourth, the bar was having a barbecue out front, and a pie-eating contest inside. Random but amazing, and made me proud to be an American!
Selection: Taurus has an extensive selection of whiskies, particularly for the Miami area. Rather than diving very deep into one particular category, such as scotch or bourbon, Taurus maintains a strong roster of several regional varieties, including bourbon, rye, Irish, Canadian, Japanese, and scotch whiskies. I also appreciate when a restaurant or bar puts their entire whiskey list online, which allows a whiskey fan like myself to plan ahead for what I want to try first!
Taurus features over 50 scotches alone, as well as page upon page of bourbons and rye whiskies. Although it's not at the level of bars like Jack Rose in DC, which boast collections numbering in the thousands, it's a damn impressive lineup.
Rare Bottles: Whoever buys for Taurus does not appear to be an obsessive rare-bottle hunter, but nonetheless the bar has an equally impressive set of options for someone looking for an unusual dram or to impress a friend or date with a big-name purchase. On the bar's top shelf I spotted a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20-year old, which is enough to turn any whiskey lover's head. I also noticed a bottle of High West's A Midwinter Night's Dram, which is an under-the-radar favorite among rye drinkers for its unique, Christmas/holiday spice profile. The bar also has some of The Balvenie's Tun scotches, which are high-end selections by Dave Stewart and reputed to be stellar (a bit beyond my means at the moment, particularly with a bar markup!). The selection includes some independent scotch bottlings from Gordon & Macphail, which is a sure sign that someone who actually cares is making the selections.
Value: For a Miami whiskey bar, Taurus prices its drams fairly reasonably, although all of their scotches are in the double digits (e.g., $10 for a Glenmorangie Original, $15 for Laphroaig 10). Its bourbons are a bit more reasonable, with a decent number of choices in the single digits. The real value at Taurus comes during happy hour and in its daily specials, however. From 4 to 7 every day, it discounts most of its bourbons and ryes by 40% (unfortunately, not extending to scotch). We ordered an Evan Williams Single Barrel, Four Roses Single Barrel, and Lot No. 40 rye, and the bill was $20 or so before tip! This deal felt particularly good because they are very generous with the pours. In fact, the picture below doesn't even do them justice, as it shows our whiskies after they are about half-finished (at other bars, those would be full drinks!). In addition to the every-day happy hour, all whiskies are 30% off on Mondays and Wednesdays, which makes the price list look much more attractive. Props to Taurus for being customer-friendly on the wallet!
Great service, nice selection, and fair prices -- what more could you want? A complimentary slug of that Pappy, perhaps . . . maybe after I establish myself as a regular, right?